FILE – In this Oct. 17, 2010 file photo, Los Angeles Clippers team owner Donald Sterling watches his team play in Los Angeles. A jury has returned a $17.3 million verdict against Sterling in a lawsuit by an actress who lost most of her belongings in a fire at a West Hollywood apartment building he owns. City News Service says the jury awarded $15 million in punitive damages to Robyn Cohen on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2012, in her breach-of-contract and emotional distress lawsuit. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Who should stand up and take responsibility for punishing Clippers owner Donald Sterling? The National Basketball Association? The Clippers’ sponsors? Players? Community groups? Fans?

Yes, all of the above.

Since the news of Sterling’s remarks about minorities, much speculation has focused on what the NBA commissioner and other team owners would, could and should do. But really it’s up to everybody with a stake in the team and sport — and in the L.A. area’s reputation — to act on their outrage.

Legal experts say it will be difficult, under the NBA’s constitution, to compel Sterling to sell the team unless it is failing financially, as Major League Baseball did with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Thus everybody who contributes to the Clippers’ financial well-being must demonstrate that Sterling’s continued ownership would hurt the franchise.

This includes fans who planned to attend the Clippers’ playoff game Tuesday night.

It has been argued that a fan boycott of this game would be pointless because the tickets are already sold; Sterling already has pocketed that money. But thousands of empty seats would send a loud message that, in the weeks and months ahead, L.A. won’t support an owner with such backward views of much of the city’s population.

It has been argued that a fan boycott would unfairly punish the Clippers’ players and coaches who count on the home crowd’s support. But a smarter view is that staying home, in an effort to hasten Sterling’s departure, is a way to support Clippers players and coaches, helping to rid African-Americans such as star players Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, and head coach Doc Rivers, of the burden of working for a racist owner.

According to the audio tape made by a former Sterling girlfriend, who is the target of a lawsuit by the Sterling family, the 80-year-old real-estate developer chastised the woman for posting pictures of herself with minorities, including Lakers great Magic Johnson. “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” Sterling is heard to say.

Sterling has been accused of racism before. He settled a federal lawsuit alleging he discriminated against blacks and Latinos at his L.A. apartment buildings, and fought off a suit by former Clippers executive Elgin Baylor alleging age discrimination (the suit originally claimed race discrimination).

But Sterling’s personal views and behavior weren’t news for the first 30 years he owned the Clippers because — thanks to his own horrible management — the team was too bad to be relevant. That changed when the Clippers became NBA championship contenders.

The NBA is expected to announce punishment for Sterling along the lines of a suspension and fine. More than a half-dozen companies have pulled Clippers sponsorship. Clippers players protested by hiding the team logo on their warmup shirts before Sunday’s game. The NAACP’s L.A. chapter canceled plans to honor Sterling (and perhaps learned a lesson about giving awards based on people’s financial donations instead of good deeds).

Now, what will fans do? Fans generally don’t root for or against team owners. But they can show their disgust with an owner whose conduct embarrasses his team, sport and city, and Tuesday is the time to start.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.